Newtown Cunningham, usually spelled Newtowncunningham or abbreviated to Newton (), is a village and

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

in the Laggan district in the east of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, located on the N13 road east of

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the R ...

and west of Derry. At the 2016 census, the village population was 1,080.

History and name

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area, from the Iron Age onwards, includes the ringfort at

Grianan of Aileach The Grianan of Aileach ( ; ga, Grianán Ailigh ), sometimes anglicised as Greenan Ely or Greenan Fort, is a hillfort atop the high Greenan Mountain at Inishowen in County Donegal, Ireland. The main structure is a stone ringfort, thought to ha ...

. Also nearby is the sixteenth-century

Burt Castle Burt Castle is a ruined castle located close to Newtowncunningham and Burt, two villages in the east of County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland. Historically it was sometimes spelt as Birt Castle. It is also known by the name O'Doherty's Castle, and ...

. The area of Newtown Cunningham was historically known as ''Culmacatrain''. Like nearby

Manorcunningham Manorcunningham, or Manor (, meaning "the manor of Fort Cownyngham") is a small village and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located 7 kilometers from Letterkenny on the main road to Derry. It is known locally and throughout Donegal as ...

, the village takes its current name from John Cunningham, originally from

Kilbirnie Kilbirnie ( Gaelic: ''Cill Bhraonaigh'') is a small town of 7,280 (as of 2001) inhabitants situated in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is around southwest of Glasgow and approximately from Paisle ...

, Ayrshire, in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, who was among the settlers granted lands in County Donegal during the 17th century Plantation of Ulster. The village's architecture includes stately Anglo-Irish "big houses", now known as the Manse and the Castle, which reflect the village's colonial and

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

history.

Economy and community

Newtowncunningham's long Main Street once formed part of the busy N13 trunk road connecting Letterkenny with Derry. A bypass diverted the N13 around the village in 1985. Many of the village's businesses either closed or moved to locations along the bypass, gradually divesting the village of economic activity. Newtonchurch

As of the early 21st century, residential developments were built at both ends of Newtown Cunningham, and the village's population expanded by over 50% (from 663 to 1,080 inhabitants) between the 2002 and 2016 census. A number of retail and service outlets were also built, and an industrial estate area located at the Letterkenny end of the village contains a number of retail outlets. Newtown Cunningham is located close to Blanket Nook, a wetland area and bird sanctuary that is a wintering site for the rare

whooper swan The whooper swan ( /ˈhuːpə(ɹ) swɒn/) (''Cygnus cygnus''), also known as the common swan, pronounced ''hooper swan'', is a large northern hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American trumpeter swan, and the type speci ...

Transport

Newtown Cunningham is served by Bus Éireann route numbers 64 and 480. These include Bus Éireann's Derry to

and Derry to Galway routes. As of 2018, Bus Éireann provided 11 daily buses passing through the village in both directions, either to Derry or to Letterkenny. The bus stop in the village is located adjacent to the Roman Catholic parish graveyard on the Main Street. The village was also previously served by Lough Swilly Buses, but this provider ceased trading in April 2014. Newtown Cunningham is not directly served by rail, and Newtowncunningham railway station (which opened in June 1883) was closed for passenger traffic on 3 June 1940 and closed altogether on 10 August 1953. Newtowncunningham Church of Ireland - geograph

Newtowncunningham Church of Ireland - geograph

Culture

The population is largely

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, with significant

and

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...

presences, and churches for each. Scoil Cholmcille, a Catholic primary (national) school, was completed in 1983. In 1986, the Páirc Colmcille sports ground was opened. In the late 1990s, the existing

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

church in the centre of the village was demolished and the construction began on a replacement church, St. Peter's Bark, which opened in 1999. The Columban Hall on the main street hosts several events throughout the year, such as festivals, concerts, and car boot sales. The local

Orange Lodge The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants, particularly those of Ulster Scots heritage. It als ...

, Newtown Cunningham LOL1063, meet in the Orange Hall on Main Street and celebrated their centenary in 2011. An

Apprentice Boys The Apprentice Boys of Derry is a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership of over 10,000, founded in 1814 and based in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. There are branches in Ulster and elsewhere in Ireland, Scotland, Engla ...

club and an accordion band also meet in the Orange Hall. The hall is used by community groups throughout the year as well as hosting an annual

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

service and concerts. In September 2014, the Orange Hall was destroyed in an arson attack. In July 2017 work began to rebuild the hall, with the hope that it would be open in 2019. The Newtown Cunningham's Presbyterian Church was formed in 1830. The church building was built in one year by voluntary labour. Newtown Cunningham Presbyterian Church was united with Crossroads from 1957 until 1974 and is now united with Ray.

People

George Bowen Sir George Ferguson Bowen (; 2 November 1821 – 21 February 1899), was an Irish author and colonial administrator whose appointments included postings to the Ionian Islands, Queensland, New Zealand, Victoria, Mauritius and Hong Kong.R. B. Joy ...

(1821-1899), author and colonial administrator, born just outside Newtowncunningham

References

External links

Newtowncunningham & Killea Parish website
(archived 2011)

{{County Donegal Towns and villages in County Donegal

Newtowncunningham Newtown Cunningham, usually spelled Newtowncunningham or abbreviated to Newton (), is a village and townland in the Laggan district in the east of County Donegal, Ireland, located on the N13 road east of Letterkenny and west of Derry. At the ...